Home Office

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 2 February (HL5437), when an announcement will be made about the funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit from April 2016 onwards.

Lord Bates: A decision on funding the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2016 will be made shortly.

Police: Recruitment

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 17 February (HL6083), how many of the 14 direct entry superintendents still employed in police forces in England and Wales are (1) female, and (2) members of black and minority ethnic communities.

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 17 February (HL6083), how many of the 14 direct entry superintendents still employed in police forces in England and Wales are (1) in command of front-line operational units, and (2) in administrative or back-office management jobs.

Lord Bates: Of the 14 direct entry superintendents employed in police forces in England and Wales, six (43%) are female and three (21%) are from an ethnic minority background. This is significantly more representative than the current make up of the superintendent rank of which 19% are women and 4% are from an ethnic minority background.Direct entrants take part in an 18 month training programme. During the course of this training they undertake a variety of roles, including frontline roles, at Constable, Sergeant, Inspector and Superintendent levels aimed at providing a policing context for their leader-ship skillsThe eight direct entrants who began their training in 2014 will complete the programme in May 2016. Should they be successful, the force will decide the roles that they will undertake. The six direct entrants who started in 2015 will not complete the programme until April 2017.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will publish records of external meetings held by special advisers to its ministers.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government publishes an unprecedented amount of data; departments publish details of Ministers and Permanent Secretaries meetings' with external organisations, and Special Advisers' meetings with senior media figures. The information requested is not held centrally and there are no plans to extend current arrangements”